New Delhi, January 26: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who has sparked speculations of his dissidence against the BJP leadership, refueled the controversy with the purported bonhomie he shared with Congress president Rahul Gandhi at the sidelines of the Republic Day 2019 parade in the national capital.

Seated next to the Gandhi scion, Gadkari was seen talking amicably with the Congress chief on multiple occasions. The two leaders clearly interacted beyond an exchange of monosyllables -- at a time when Rahul Gandhi has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being "personally involved" in the alleged corruption in the Rafale fighter jets deal. Nitin Gadkari Reiterates Jawaharlal Nehru's Ideology, Says 'India is Not a Nation, it is a Population’; Watch Video

Three seats to the right of Gandhi, his arch nemesis and BJP president Amit Shah was seated. Neither the two leaders, nor others among the top brass of the Congress and the BJP were spotted greeting each other. The only exception was Prime Minister Narendra Modi shaking hands with his predecessor Manmohan Singh.

Gadkari sparked rumours of not being on the same page with the Modi-Shah leadership, after he told reporters in August last year that implementing Maratha reservation may not yield results to tackle the unemployment crisis. "Where are the jobs?" he had quipped.

Rahul Gandhi had then been quick to compliment Gadkari on his candid approach, describing as the only "honest minister" in the Narendra Modi government.

"Excellent question Gadkari Ji. Every Indian is asking the same question," he had said, whereas, the Congress had tweeted: "We applaud Nitin Gadkari for being the first BJP Minister to speak the truth and courageously raise the question that we and the people of India have been asking."

This was followed Gadkari's reiteration earlier in the month, calling unemployment "the biggest problem before India". His remarks came in the backdrop of Prime Minister's interview to several news channels, where he cited EPFO statistics to prove the growth in number of jobs, apart from stressing that his government is turning youths into "job creators" rather than job seekers.

Gadkari had also created room for speculation with his controversial remarks after the BJP's rout in the recent assembly elections. At at time when the party shifted the onus on state leaders for the dismal performance, Gadkari said the central leadership should "take responsibility".

The BJP veteran continued to ruffle feathers by praising the Nehru-Gandhi clan, while the party continues to lambaste the "first family" for most of the ills which have plagued the nation. Gadkari had recently praised late former PM Indira Gandhi, calling her a "model of women's empowerment".

In what appeared unprecedented, Gadkari also quoted India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru -- who is often targeted by the BJP leadership -- during his speech, stating that "half the country's problems would not exist if individuals did not create them". He further expressed his fondness for Nehru's speeches.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 26, 2019 04:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).